The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) formally founded Quantum Leap Africa (QLA) in 2018, establishing it at the AIMS Rwanda campus in Kigali. According to QLA’s Lead Scientist for Quantum, Dr. Prince Osei, AIMS “realized as early as 2017 that Africa was behind the curve in understanding the need for quantum technologies” and created QLA to prepare the continent for the quantum technology transition. The announcement coincided with the Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering held in Kigali in March 2018, which brought together scientific and policy leaders from across the world.
QLA was structured around three core research pillars: data science and big data analytics, smart systems engineering, and quantum information science. Its stated mission was to place Africa “on the leading edge of quantum science and the technologies of the future,” according to QLA’s institutional description. A component of the centre was dedicated to quantum research covering quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensors, and quantum materials.
Rwanda was designated as QLA’s sole physical home. Partnerships were established with the University of Calgary for a joint PhD program in quantum information and with QuSoft for jointly supervised research master’s fellowships. QLA was funded through public-private partnerships combining contributions from the Government of Rwanda, foundations, corporations, and partner institutions.